In 1989, just after we got married, I bought a book on Curries byPat Chapman from Sainsbury’s. Despite now owning several other curry recipe books, it’s still our ‘go to’ book for all things spicy! We’ve been blending the spices into curry powder and cooking it out in to a curry paste ever since then. It’s been tried and tested by many a guest to our house over the years, and as I used almost the last of my current batch making mychicken curry for dinner last night, I had to make some more today. The benefit of making it today in the warm, dry weather, meant that I could cook it outdoors on my Cadac barbeque in the paella pan; sharing the amazing aroma with my neighbours and leaving my house smelling fragrant and not spicy for the next few days!

It’s incredibly simple to do, so here it is in it’s entirety. All teaspoon measurements are ROUNDED.

12tsp Ground Coriander

6tsp Ground Cumin

5tsp Gram flour

5tsp Garlic powder

4tsp Fenugreek seeds

4tsp Paprika*

4tsp Turmeric

4tsp Garam Masala

1tsp Asafoetida

1tsp Ground Ginger

1tsp Chilli powder*

1tsp Mustard powder*

1tsp White ground Pepper

250ml Cider vinegar

250ml Vegetable oil

1. Measure all your ingredients into a large bowl.

2. Pour in your cider vinegar and enough cold water to make a paste that ‘dollops’ off the spoon without being too runny.

3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok (I used my paella pan on my Cadac).

4. Add the curry paste (be careful as it’ll spit initially due to the water content).

5. Cook for about 15 minutes until the water has evaporated. You’ll know it’s cooked as when you leave it for a short while, the oil will rise to the surface of the paste.

6. Allow to cool for a few minutes and then decant into sterilised jars.

7. Heat a little more oil and pour over the top of the curry paste to prevent air getting to it.

8. Seal the jars and store in a cool, dark place for a couple of weeks before using.

The recipe above is for a mild curry paste, however if you increase the quantities of Paprika, Chiili and Mustard you can increase the heat to your own preference. Similarly, if you don’t have all the ingredients listed above, it’s fine to leave one or two of the smaller quantities out.